Now this is starting to get Serious. :>

LONDON — The wife of an ex-KGB agent fatally poisoned in Britain and the Italian security expert he met the day he fell ill both showed traces of the same radioactive substance found in the dead man’s body, friends and officials said Friday.

The inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko widened with the new positive test results, the evacuation of a hotel in southern England, and the sweep of an Irish hospital that treated a Russian opposition leader for what his aides described as poisoning. In Italy, the government sought to reassure the public there was no danger.

…In Ireland, meanwhile, authorities tested Dublin’s James Connolly Memorial Hospital, which treated former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar after he became violently ill during a conference last week — an incident his aides have described as another poisoning.

Irish health officials said tests were carried out to gauge any risks to public health, but said they found no traces of radiation.

Gaidar, 50, who served briefly as prime minister in the 1990s and is one of the leaders of a liberal opposition party, began vomiting and fainted during a conference in Ireland on Nov. 24.

His daughter, Maria, said in Moscow that his life was no longer in danger and he was slowly recovering.

“It seems to me that it’s probable that he was poisoned. I think that it could be somehow connected with Litvinenko, I don’t know how, but it seems so strangely connected in the time and even geographically connected,” she told AP Television News.

Irish police have launched an inquiry into Gaidar’s illness, but they said the investigation was routine and should not worry the public. “Tracing the movements of the subject and establishing the facts is the focus” of the investigation, police said.

Traces of radiation have been found at a dozen sites in Britain and five jetliners were being investigated for possible contamination…

Read the whole thing, for much more on this ever-Ramifying international murder mystery. (Irrelevant Footnote: the fellow Memorialized by Dublin’s James Connolly Memorial Hospital, himself died suddenly of Lead poisoning ~ in a manner of Speaking ~ administered by British firing squad on May 12, 1916.)

( Hopeful reminder for celtic-averse readers: this Unseasonable post is very Soon to be Submerged beneath mountains of material documenting tomorrow’s Next-scheduled Embarrassment to The Irish. :)

This sort of served to Punctuate DUP leader Ian Paisley’s refusal ~ again ~ to head up a Northern Ireland coalition government with Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness as his Deputy ~ in part pending, the Reverend Doctor had said shortly before the gun-&-knife-toting Unionist’s assault on the parliament building, the Nationalists’ bringing “…a complete end to paramilitary and criminal activity and the removal of terrorist structures.”

From the AP version:

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — The Northern Ireland Assembly missed another deadline for forming a government Friday, then politicians fled the building as one of the province’s most infamous Protestant militants burst in, claiming to have a bomb.

Police subdued Michael Stone, who killed three people at an Irish Republican Army funeral in 1988, after he tossed a bag into the building and claimed it contained a bomb.

Politicians and journalists were ordered out of the building as the fire alarm sounded — and two security guards pinned Stone by both arms to the main doorway. He was later wrestled outside, into pouring rain and wind, as he shouted a favored Protestant militant slogan: “No surrender!”

…Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain ordered an immediate investigation into what he called a “very serious breach of security.”

[Ya think? / ~ the guestblogger :]

Stone’s demonstration came minutes after Protestant leader Ian Paisley refused to accept a nomination as the future leader of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing administration.

…The prime ministers of Britain and Ireland, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, said Stone’s threat illustrated why rival British Protestant and Irish Catholic politicians should compromise and form a stable coalition as the Good Friday peace accord intended.

[Ya think? / ~ the guestblogger :]

More Blarney after The Jump :)

(more…)

I’ve heard of Seeding the Clouds but this is taking it to a whole ‘nuther level. Yes, if we’re ever to get our chance at the Terraforming of Mars we may need first to implement the Sulfatesification of Earth. Shields Up, Mister Sulu:

NAIROBI, Kenya — If the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, the time may come to draw the shade.

The “shade” would be a layer of pollution deliberately spewed into the atmosphere to help cool the planet.

The over-the-top idea comes from prominent scientists, among them a Nobel laureate. The reaction at the U.N. conference on climate change in Nairobi, Kenya, is a mix of caution, curiosity and some resignation about such “massive and drastic” operations, as the chief U.N. climatologist describes them.

The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who first made the proposal is himself “not enthusiastic about it.”

“It was meant to startle the policymakers,” said Paul J. Crutzen, of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. “If they don’t take action much more strongly than they have in the past, then in the end we have to do experiments like this.”

[In the End, indeed. / ~ the guestblogger ;]

Serious people are taking Crutzen’s idea seriously. This weekend, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., will host a closed-door, high-level workshop on the global haze proposal and other “geoengineering” ideas for fending off climate change.

…The Dutch climatologist, awarded a 1995 Nobel in chemistry for his work uncovering the threat to Earth’s atmospheric ozone layer, suggested that balloons bearing heavy guns be used to carry sulfates high aloft and fire them into the stratosphere.

…A massive dissemination of pollutants would be needed every year or two, as the sulfates precipitate from the atmosphere in acid rain.

…”Yes, by all means, do all the research,” said Indian climatologist Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the 2,000-scientist U.N. network on climate change.

But “if human beings take it upon themselves to carry out something as massive and drastic as this, we need to be absolutely sure there are no side effects,” Pachauri said…

Um, yes but isn’t there really only One way (and I don’t mean Doing all the Research :) to find out, for Absolutely Sure, about that? / Read the whole thing. (Footnote: let’s hope The Terrorists don’t have any of these Balloons that can bear Heavy Guns. :)

The editorial page of The Hartford Courant, Connecticut’s largest-circulation newspaper, is generally liberal in its positions on issues and candidates. For this election the Courant has endorsed: (a) the progressive Democratic challengers for Governor & Lt. Gov. over Republican incumbent Jodi Rell and her runningmate; (b) the incumbent Democrats for the four other statewide executive-branch elective offices; and (c) surprisingly, all 5 Democratic candidates for the U.S. House, 3 of whom are challenging incumbent moderate Republicans whom the Courant has often supported and/or praised in the past.

And, for the United States Senate, the Constitution State’s left-leaning newspaper-of-record today urges the re-election of yet another good progressive Democrat: Joe Lieberman.

…This election is not solely about a war gone sour. There are critical domestic matters long simmering - the solvency of Social Security, health care access, huge budget deficits and more. For the most part, bitter partisanship rules. It will take more members of Mr. Lieberman’s ilk to restrain a free-spending, scandal-plagued Congress and an increasingly powerful president, or to turn attention to other urgent matters such as the environment and energy independence.

…Mr. Lieberman is cast by some as a Republican in disguise, enabling the GOP in its wild spending sprees and ethical lapses. The record shows Mr. Lieberman to have a moderate-to- liberal voting record much on the order of Democratic colleague Sen. Christopher Dodd. This session alone, Mr. Lieberman voted for stem cell research funding, against the Bush tax cuts, for guest-worker programs, and against federal cuts in welfare, child support and student loan programs.

To be sure, Mr. Lieberman has long challenged Democratic orthodoxy, especially on security and moral matters. That’s fine. His challenges have often nudged Democrats to the middle…

…In 1991, Mr. Lieberman told a conference organized by the Heritage Foundation and the Progressive Foundation that “the old assumptions of the left and right are no longer working” and that the political system needed to embrace “a new consensus that drops ideology and replaces it with rationality.” He has been true to this vision for the past 18 years, earning bipartisan political capital that will be needed in the difficult six years ahead.

Read the whole thing.

(Their thoughtful & spot-on gubernatorial endorsement of John DeStefano is worth a Re-link & a Read, too, especially since it’s the second Courant editorial published today which mirrors My opinions exactly. :)

Go, Connecticut! Infuriate the Blogosphere: Agree with Ned, Re-Elect Joe. :)

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman leads Ned Lamont by 8 percentage points in the Senate race, although a majority of voters agree with Lamont on the war in Iraq and the need for change in Washington, a Courant/University of Connecticut poll says.

Lieberman leads Lamont among likely voters 48-40 percent, with 8 percent undecided and roughly 15 percent of both candidates’ supporters saying they still could change their minds before Nov. 7.

The poll by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis found that 60 percent of voters believe going to war was wrong, and a slim majority favors a deadline for withdrawal, issues Lamont used to defeat Lieberman in the Democratic primary.

But Lieberman, who stayed in the race as a petitioning candidate, enjoys a 57 percent approval rating and has managed to capture 67 percent of the Republican vote, while keeping 35 percent of Democrats in his camp. Unaffiliated voters prefer him over Lamont 45-37 percent.

With the GOP leadership tacitly backing Lieberman, Republican Alan Schlesinger is favored by only 4 percent of voters. Also in the race are Ralph Ferrucci of the Green Party and Timothy Knibbs of the Concerned Citizens party.

“Lieberman has managed to do exactly what he set out to do after his primary loss. His goal was to finesse the party issue by appealing to independents and Republicans without completely alienating Democratic voters,” said Monika L. McDermott, the research director at the center. “He’s pulled it off so far.”

…The poll strongly suggests that the war is not enough for Lamont to win the general election, since Lieberman is supported by nearly one-third of anti-war voters and 70 percent of those who supported the invasion.

“The Iraq war should be Lamont’s area of strength, given its unpopularity in Connecticut, Lieberman’s staunch support of it and its importance relative to other issues,” McDermott said. “The problem for his campaign, however, is that convincing general-election voters to turn on Lieberman because of Iraq is much harder than convincing Democratic primary voters.”

…Richard Foley, the campaign manager for Schlesinger, said his candidate will outperform the polls - all of which show Schlesinger mired in single digits.

“It’s not going to happen that way,” Foley said. “I am not questioning anybody’s methodology or anybody’s sanity, but I will tell you there is almost no situation I envision where Alan Schlesinger gets less than 15 or 20 percent. That is the minimum vote.”

Schlesinger’s profile will rise as the result of three televised debates, beginning Monday; he also is expected to benefit from being on the top line of the ballot next to Gov. M. Jodi Rell, while Lieberman will be no higher than the 5th line…

Actually Joe’s highest ballot position is on the 6th line. He’ll be on the 7th in many towns, the 8th or 9th in some. (All of which Are, I suppose, No Higher than the 5th line, so The Courant is correct. :)

Foley is also correct. / Dick, not Mark. :> Mark’s the Republican ex-Congressman from Florida. He’s very Incorrect. In fact he’s more Radioactive than little Kim Jong the Ill’s little bomb. ;} Dick is the Republican ex-Chairman and ex-Con from Connecticut. He’s right about his boy Alan. / Right, at least, in that Schlesinger will, more or less “automatically”, do better AT the Polls than he’s doing IN the polls. How much better could determine the outcome. IF Foley’s 15-to-20-point “minimum” proves true, Lamont will win.

Connecticut is Odd. (Of course, we Like us that way. :) Not only do 35% of Democrats support Saint Joe, but also ~ 15% of Republicans favor Lord Ned!

Read the whole thing.

Swell:

“The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a self-defense measure in response,” the North’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement…

My Take: Kim Jong Il is getting jealous again. Too much media attention to Mark Foley and Bob Woodward. ;> Here’s hoping little Kim the Ill doesn’t Test it atop one of his mighty Taepo Dongs; nobody knows where those things are gonna Fall down & go Boom ~ least of all his Democratic Peoples’ Republican Rocket Scientists. / Whole thing.

(We return you now to Other cheerful news of the day, e.g. slaughter of schoolchildren to expiate killer’s sins, hijacking of airplane to protest Pope, and destruction of church by lightning.)

Being sadly familiar with the Hijacking of the once-honorable banner of American “liberalism” by the antidemocratic Repressionistas, I’ve been Expecting this since approximately 12:01 a.m. August 9:

Critics asked a New Haven election official to remove Sen. Joe Lieberman from the Democratic Party on Monday, a request which could potentially lead to a hearing in which the longtime Democrat would have to argue that he still adheres to the principles of the party.

The group, whose members described themselves as peace activists, said Lieberman cannot belong to the Democrat Party while running for office under the “Connecticut for Lieberman” party banner.

“The law is pretty clear he is no longer a member of the Democratic Party in good standing,” said group leader Henry Lowendorf of the New Haven Peace Council. “There was an open vote and he was voted out. He joined a different party.”

In fact : (a) the relevant law (Secs. 9-60 thru 9-63) is by No means Clear as to Any such thing ~ its prior provisions for Automatic party disaffiliation in case of Candidacy under a Different party name having been Repealed nine years ago due to serious Constitutional problems; (b) Lieberman was not Voted Out of the Democratic Party; {c} he has Not joined a different party [No One can legally Join the “Connecticut for Lieberman” party yet, not until after it wins at least 1% of the Vote ~ which it will, Plus at least 50 :> ~ on Nov. 7, after which voters may Enroll in CfL but only IF they pro-actively Apply for such enrollment ]; and (d) even the leftover “discretionary” party-disaffilation Procedure still remaining on the statute books is essentially a Dead Letter, pursuant to Court decisions holding that the Targeted person’s very Act of opposing & appealing such action is prima facia evidence of his/her bona fide intent to remain in good-faith Affiliation with the party that seeks to Bounce him.

Sharon Ferrucci, the Democratic registrar of voters, said she would research the request, which she said was the first such in her two decades on the job. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said Ferrucci could choose to deny the request.

Indeed she can; and she Should. If she doesn’t, the end result will be the same: Senator Lieberman’s voluntary personal affiliation with his longtime favored Party will ultimately be upheld upon court appeal, just as have others’ before him.

But Better yet, Connecticut :} ~

…Lieberman leads Lamont by 12 points in a recent statewide poll, with Republican Alan Schlesinger trailing far behind.

Yeah ~ like far behind with 4%. / THEREFORE:

…Also on Monday, a university professor filed complaints with state officials to try to keep Lieberman’s name off the November ballot.

John Orman, a Fairfield University political science professor and a former Democratic candidate in the Senate race, filed complaints with the Secretary of the State’s Office and the State Elections Enforcement Commission accusing Lieberman of creating “a fake political party” to resuscitate his re-election bid.

Yes and old Joe the Fakir seems to be doing a pretty fair job at the campaign CPR, too. / Which Is, of course, precisely the Problem, here. :>

“He’s doing anything he can to get his name on the ballot,” Orman said.

Yeah, like timely submitting some 18,000 petition signatures requesting same ~ 7,500 verified voters’ ones being Required.

In contrast to the gossamerFlimsy-but-still-barely-Discernible legal case for Dem-disaffilliating Lieberman, there is No constitutional, statutory, or equitable basis Whatsoever for Bouncing him off the November Ballot (assuming, as is extraordinarily Likely, that his 18,000 “raw” petition signatures do Boil down to the John-Hancocks of at least 7,500 verified Voters).

But Still ~ all such pesky Technicalities aside ~ just Philosophically, let’s Recap.

Problems of Democracy, Part I: (a) your candidate has validly & legitimately Won the Party primary with 51.8% of the vote, which represents approximately 20% of the overall eligible Electorate in the upcoming general election. (b) The guy yer man Beat ~ who got a Mere 48.2% of the intraParty vote ~ is running in the General via a new-party-name petition and is presently pulling an Absolute Majority in the Polls, double-digits ahead of your Champion who Languishes in the Low 40’s percentile. (c) The #3 “contender” ~ a “major party” [sic :] nominee ~ is Polling at 04%. (d) For the Sake of Safeguarding the Peoples’ Democracy, what Will you Do? What WILL you DO? [choose One :] ~

(1) Just keep on Campaigning for your Candidate and do the best you can and hope ~ not at all Implausibly ~ to Win the contest in the end.

(2) But if, G*d forbid, it should happen that you should Lose: accept Defeat. It’s a Democracy. Come back and Beat ‘em next time around.

(3) Sh*t.

(4) Go Bl*nd.

(5) Get the Bastard off the Ballot. It’s a Democracy. This means that We Always Win.

(Read whatever I left out above.)

Which, when it happens on November 7 (as it Will ~ mark my words), will be a victory for Connecticut, for Lieberman, and most importantly, for America.

A.P. ~

Stripped of the Democratic party’s support, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman began his independent campaign for re-election Wednesday after his 18-year Washington career was derailed by a primary loss to an anti-war candidate.

…On Wednesday, he filed petitions to run in November as an independent and dismissed his campaign staff, saying he hadn’t been aggressive enough in countering Lamont during the primary.

“The bottom line is that I’m definitely in,” Lieberman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “While I consider myself a devoted Democrat, I am even more devoted to my state and my country.”

…Lieberman’s loss sets up a three-way race this fall among Lamont, Lieberman and Republican Alan Schlesinger, who has trailed far behind both Democrats in recent polls.

The final returns from Tuesday’s primary showed Lamont defeating Lieberman 52 percent to 48 percent.

Kenneth Dautrich, a public policy professor at the University of Connecticut, said Wednesday that Lieberman’s name recognition and moderate stances will draw strong support from independent and Republican voters in November.

Lamont’s views that appeal to liberal Democrats will likely turn away many unaffiliated and Republican voters, Dautrich said.

“For a variety of reasons, I think Lieberman is now in the driver’s seat,” Dautrich said. “We probably would expect to see Lieberman with a fairly handy lead as the election campaign begins.”

The biggest challenge, Dautrich said, will likely be fundraising. Lamont, a multimillionaire who put $4 million of his own money into the primary, will also get donations from traditional Democratic sources.

“The one handicap is he doesn’t have the deep pockets that Lamont has,” Dautrich said. “Lamont can put his hand in his pocket and come out with a few million bucks, and Lieberman can’t do that.”

No he can’t, personally. But, in the end, this will Not be a problem.

Western Connecticut State University political science professor Christopher Kukk predicted that some religious or moderately conservative groups will contribute to Lieberman’s campaign.

“I think money will somehow find its way toward Lieberman’s campaign,” Kukk said. “I think you’ll find more independent organizations step up, or those a little more on the conservative side.”

A Quinnipiac University poll released in July showed that 51 percent of likely voters would support Lieberman in a three-way race. That’s compared with 27 percent for Lamont and 9 percent for Schlesinger, an attorney who was formerly a lawmaker and mayor.

Though having both Lieberman and Lamont on the ballot could split the Democratic vote, Schlesinger is not considered a major threat. His campaign stumbled in July after revelations that he used a fake name to gamble at a Connecticut casino and had been sued over gambling debts at two New Jersey casinos.

Republican Gov. M Jodi Rell urged him to drop out of the Senate race, but Schlesinger called the gambling a “non-issue” and vowed to remain in the race.

But Dautrich and Kukk both said Rell’s clear lack of support and enthusiasm for Schlesinger could be seen by many Republicans as a free pass to support Lieberman without feeling they are betraying their party.

“With a weak Republican in the race, it’ll be Lieberman who fills that void,” Dautrich said.

…He said Wednesday that he does not blame his now-dismissed campaign staff members for Tuesday’s loss, but that he wants “some different people” - including a new media consultant and new polling firm - as he launches his independent run.

“It’s a new chapter of the campaign and therefore I’m going to put together a new team to help me run the campaign, to support me in the campaign,” he said.

All signatures on Lieberman’s petitions turned in Wednesday must be validated by the town clerks in the towns where they were submitted…

Read the rest. / The only Big question now is, will Joe win the 3-way on Nov. 7 with an upper-40s-percentile Plurality ~ similar to the 48-plus-percent he achieved in the 2-way Dem primary ~ or, will he Romp with an Absolute Majority over Alan & Neddy combined?

Either way, Connecticutians for Lieberman, and for America, will gladly Take it.

(For years I had to Go There at 8 p.m. and do this with little Brendan, because he Liked it. :> / Nowadays I have to do it FOR the Big Lug, because he STILL likes it. ;> / OKOK, so I still like it too. :)

Elizabeth Green School, Voting District 4, Newington CT ~
(excluding Absentee ballots, which are counted Centrally at Town Hall) ~:

U.S. Senator

Joe Lieberman… 234 (52.8%)
Ned Lamont…….209 (47.2%)
Total………………443 (100%)

Addenda:

Governor

Dan Malloy………. 196 (47.2%)
John DeStefano… 219 (52.8%)
Total…………………415 (100%)

Lieutenant Governor

Mary Glassman… 173 (49.9%)
Scott Slifka……… 174 (50.1%)
Total ………………347 (100%)

Total Voting on the Voting Machine: 447

Voting but Not for US Senator… 4 (00.9%)
Voting but Not for Governor:…….32 (07.2%)
Voting but Not for Lt. Gov………100 (22.4%)

Digits, Scores, and Hundred of Ballots. Thrown Out. Frauuud. (Yawn.) :>

(Hat tip: Bonnie.)

Now THIS is (at last! :) some Hopeful news, which I Doubly did Not expect. I had assumed that last Thursday’s Quinnipiac Poll would be the Last one before the Real one tomorrow ~ but also, that if there Were to be another survey it would surely show the momentum-borne Lamont bandwagon continuing to Roll Up the lead.

BUT NO! :) The poll, completed yesterday, has Lamont at 51% (down 3 from the previous 54%), Lieberman 45% (up 4 from 41%), undecided 4% (down 1 from 5%). I.e., a Net shift of 3 points from Ned to Joe & 1 point from Undecided to Joe, reducing Ned’s margin by 7 points, from 13 down to 6.

That’s still a significant lead & I fear that Lamont is still the probable winner tomorrow ~ but it does put Lieberman within possible Striking Distance, which 13 percentage points Behind was Not. / And, it indicates that the Late Trend is For Joe ~ which to me is a Stunning (and welcome) surprise.

Also to Me :), Table 4 of the poll (scroll down to it) is Interesting, though not stunning because the previous Quinnipiac data have indicated similar Demographics. Counterintuitively it seems, Table 4 shows Peacenik Ned with a Big lead among Men (55-42), but Tied with Warmonger Joe among Women! (47-47) Thinking it through though, I suppose the Democratic Ladies ARE much Fiercer that us nambypamby D-Boys. :] AND, the same Table shows Lieberman winning (by smallish margins) the party’s Proletarian sectors ~ the No-College-Degrees and the Below-50K Incomes ~ while Lamont Romps in the Better Class Of Dimmycrats :> with all kinds of Higher education adorning their Assets. :}

Well as Bonnie said in her comment, Tomorrow tells the Tale. / GO JOE! :)

Note: the poll shows the Dem Gubernatorial primary also tightening. / If they Both end up actually Close, say a little prayer** for my former colleagues in CTSOTS ElectionDiv. / We Hate Close! (**Sean, you can just Think a little Good Thought. Special Dispensation. :)

P.S. ~ Just to shed a little Illumination upon a Previous-thread-Comment question, re whether the Lamontistas may, or may not, be Fairly called [e.g., by me :] the “Demleft”, here is a good (and Entertaining :) Hartford Courant profile of the Radically brilliant :} Tom Swan, the Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) skilled veteran commissar :> who Recruited Ned into the race, signed on as his Campaign chieftain, and deployed a platoon of his CCAG comrades ;] to help him Run the Show (which he & they have indeed done very effectively). Sample:

George Jepsen, the former state Democratic Party chairman who is supporting Lamont, is amused by the partnership between the Greenwich businessman and the coffee-stained, sandal-wearing CCAG crew that Swan leads.

“They’ve been on the other side of the barricades throwing rocks at the tanks every day of their lives and here they are, possibly on the verge of one of the greatest political upsets in national history,” Jepsen said. “I like to tease them that they were Bolsheviks in a former life and they’re being punished now by being forced to work for the grandson of J.P. Morgan’s partner.”

:) Whole thing.

UPDATE BY BRENDAN: Mystery Pollster is skeptical that the shift in the numbers is really as dramatic as it appears.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at what the other half is saying, straight from the Kos’s mouth.

The Washington Post submits its preliminary draft Brief in support of Brendan’s contemplated divorce litigation against the Democratic Party ~ foreseeing a wild spree of further infidelities by the coquettish Donkey Mare, following her soon-to-be-consummated seduction by Greenwich jackass wealthy liberal Ned Lamont :

FARMINGTON, Conn., Aug. 5 — The passion and energy fueling the antiwar challenge to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in Connecticut’s Senate primary signal a power shift inside the Democratic Party that could reshape the politics of national security and dramatically alter the battle for the party’s 2008 presidential nomination, according to strategists in both political parties.

A victory by businessman Ned Lamont on Tuesday would confirm the growing strength of the grass-roots and Internet activists who first emerged in Howard Dean’s presidential campaign. Driven by intense anger at President Bush and fierce opposition to the Iraq war, they are on the brink of claiming their most significant political triumph, one that will reverberate far beyond the borders here if Lieberman loses.

An upset by Lamont would affect the political calculations of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who like Lieberman supported giving Bush authority to wage the Iraq war, and could excite interest in a comeback by former vice president Al Gore, who warned in 2002 that the war could be a grave strategic error. For at least the next year, any Democrat hoping to play on the 2008 stage would need to reckon with the implications of Lieberman’s repudiation.

…Strategists say the Connecticut race has rattled the Democratic establishment, which is virtually united behind the three-term incumbent’s candidacy, and will force an uneasy accommodation with the newest, volatile power center within the party.

…The Connecticut race may be seen as an intensification of the partisan, polarized politics of the Bush era. Lieberman is paying a price for being an advocate of bipartisanship.

As a result, a loss on Tuesday could generate more demand for a strongly anti-Bush, antiwar candidate in the Democratic primaries. Several are ready to run, including Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), former senator John Edwards (N.C.) and Sen. Russell Feingold (Wis.), the only one of the three to vote against the war in 2002.

None, however, may be as attractive to the grass-roots activists as Gore. He has said he cannot conceive of circumstances that would put him in the race. But he may be coaxed to reconsider if the sentiment for him grows after the November midterm elections.

…many party moderates say they see worrisome parallels to what happened to the Democrats during Vietnam, when they opposed an unpopular war but paid a price politically for years after because of a perception the party was too dovish on national security.

“Candidates know they cannot appease [antiwar] activists if they are going to run winning national campaigns,” said Will Marshall, president of the centrist Progressive Policy Institute. “It will intensify the tension inside the Democratic coalition as we head into two critical elections.”…

Read the whole thing. / Brendan, They say the Political Bachelor’s life isn’t so bad, really. No Worries…no Responsibilites…no pesky Primaries to go Vote in…freedom to Chat up whatever winsome Fringe parties might happens to catch one’s roving Eye… :>

The Hartford Courant’s Washington Bureau Chief, shrewd political analyst David Lightman, thinks So:

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will meet with President Bush and address Congress this week, a visit that promises to attract lots of media attention at a bad time for Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.

Lieberman plans to attend Wednesday’s joint session of Congress for al-Maliki’s speech, and the national press, which has been closely following Lieberman’s primary fight with anti-war challenger Ned Lamont, is sure to take notice.

Even if the senator skips the speech, Lamont’s backers are delighted by Lieberman’s predicament just two weeks before the primary.

“If he stays away, it will appear he’s running from his record,” Lamont campaign manager Tom Swan said. “If he goes, he’ll remind people he’s George Bush’s biggest Senate cheerleader.”

That last phrase is utter cowpoop of course, but Spreading the Proverbial Pollutant is Tom Swan’s Job. (And he’s Good at it too. :)

…Critics, including prominent Democrats, will use the visit to highlight their disagreements with the war and in some cases with al-Maliki. [CT] Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd District, who has been supporting Lieberman, was circulating a letter Monday urging congressional leaders to cancel the al-Miliki appearance.

Hm. / Wonder if maybe Rosa’s really trying to have Nouri Scrubbed (under the Out-Of-Iraq public Rubric of course :) in order to get Joe off the Hook? Hm. / Naah. :>

(more…)

Yes, the Connecticut US Senate race is getting even Gamier than it already Was.

I’m Tellin’ ya, if The Hartford Courant’s crack team of Investigative reporters (these Are the Boys who Brought Down John Rowland, after all :) keeps this up, Alan Schlesinger is going to Win This Thing. :> Already he’s Gained by a full Proportion of 12.5%, already ;> (up from 8 points to a robust 9 in the latest poll :) since the First story about yer man’s Recreational Cardcounting :) came out. This one will surely accelerate the rumbling Groundswell of Casinodwellers For Alan :} ~

July 21, 2006
By DAVE ALTIMARI, JON LENDER And EDMUND H. MAHONY, Courant Staff Writers

When Alan Schlesinger gave a fake name while playing blackjack at Foxwoods in the early 1990s, he had already been sued over a gambling debt by one Atlantic City casino and was on the way to racking up an even bigger debt that led to a second lawsuit.

Schlesinger, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the Nov. 7 election, paid a total of more than $28,000 in 1990 and 1994 to settle the two lawsuits, according to New Jersey court records reviewed by The Courant.

Questions about Schlesinger’s gambling habits surfaced last week, when he admitted that he had obtained a “Wampum Card” from Foxwoods Resort Casino under the assumed name of Alan Gold shortly after the casino opened in 1992.

That disclosure prompted Republican Gov. M Jodi Rell to urge Schlesinger to step aside as a candidate, but Schlesinger refused, calling his use of a phony gambling ID a “non-issue.” A Rell spokesman Thursday said the governor had no comment on the New Jersey gambling debts.

State Republican Party Chairman George Gallo, who also called for Schlesinger to step aside last week, declined to comment Thursday, except to say that Schlesinger had never mentioned anything about the debts. “This is new information to me,” Gallo said.

Schlesinger on Thursday called himself a “recreational” gambler and vowed he would not be driven from the Senate race.

“I have never done anything illegal. I did absolutely nothing wrong,” Schlesinger said. “I’m not getting out of this race because of the fact I had a couple of civil lawsuits filed against me 15 years ago.”

“Never”! “Anything”! Remarkable. Yet another Jewish Saint in our Contest! :) May G*d Continue to Bless the State of Connecticut. ;>

(More after the Break :)

(more…)

Hat tip: Bob Lutts, CT Republican Guru :)

Sadly but Unsurprisingly:

Sen. Joe Lieberman, under fire from activists in his own party, has lost ground to his challenger and is narrowly trailing him for the first time in their race for the Democratic nomination, a new poll released Thursday shows.

Businessman Ned Lamont had support from 51 percent and Lieberman from 47 percent of likely Democratic voters in the latest Quinnipiac University poll - a slight Lamont lead given the survey’s sampling error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Lieberman had led in a Quinnipiac poll last month, 55 percent to 40 percent.

When Saint Joe announced his November Fallback petition on July 3 (subsequently settling on the excellent ballot designation Connecticut for Lieberman :), I immediately knew that he Knew that This Shift was underway. [I just now Typoed that word “Shift” :> ~ honestly, I Did ~ but have restored the Freudianly-omitted consonant. :] For the Feedback from the Phonebanks is always way Ahead of the intermittent public Polls, that Previous one having been published on longago June 8.

Of course the 51-47 with its 4-point error-margin is, as stated, among Likely Democratic Voters, not among All Democrats. Per past primary precedent (pardon :) the truly Likely Democratic Voters (i.e. those who Will in fact Vote, not just lie to a Pollster about their civicmindedness :) comprise around 20-25% of All Democrats. Neither the AP story nor (unless I Missed it, You go look) the Poll report itself sets forth the numbers for All Democrats. I Infer, from Several clues, that Quinnipiac this time polled ONLY the self-described Likelies on the various Dem-primaries-related Questions, winnowing out the Lesslikelies from those Q’s as soon as they ID’ed themselves as such.

But the June 8 poll DID report on the preference of All Dems as well as the subset of Likelies, and this showed significantly stronger Support for Joe (and Lessy for Neddy :) among the All-D’s than among the Why-Sure-I’ll-Vote- D’s. / And in the New poll, a Close scrutiny of (scroll Way down) Tables 3, 10, 11, 15 and 22 reveals corroborating, albeit sometimes indirect, evidence that selfdescribed DemLikelies continue to be notably more Negative toward Lieberman than the Dems Overall.

All of which Goes to Show that Joe is correct in saying that if he can just generate a Really Big Turnout at this Dem primary ~ Way bigger than the paltry Usual & big enough to be a Truly representative Sample of the party ~ then he will Still Win.

BUT: even if Not, I’ve got Good News. / Nono, not about my Car Insurance :).

The new poll suggests that Lieberman still could win a fourth term, even if he loses the Democratic primary Aug. 8, however.

Lieberman filed papers last week that will allow him to petition his way onto the November ballot. The poll found that among all registered Connecticut voters surveyed, including non-Democrats, Lieberman had the support of 51 percent, followed by Lamont with 27 percent and Republican Alan Schlesinger with 9 percent.

:) Now, before going all Weepy for poor Alan there, let us note that his 9% is Up by a huge Share of Twelve-and-a-Half Percent, i.e. up One Full Point from his June 8 showing of 8% :> AAAND ~ this FOLLOWING the Keystone Kop’s Klaims about the Kasino Kerfuffles which frightened Alan’s party “leadership” into Calling for his Withdrawal! Yes, clearly Senator-elect Schlesinger ;} has now Played the Blackjack Card and can no longer be Counted out as the vast Recreational Gaming Vote begins to Cut in his favor. :)

Read the whole article and Memorize the Whole Poll. :>

Footnote (from the article) ~

The campaign announced Thursday that former President Clinton would help campaign for Lieberman.

Yaaaay! :) Word is that Bubba & Joe will Go to Waterbury. / These are Brave Men I tell you. :> (Cripes, I hope the Handlers make sure that Queen Noor isn’t there. :)

…Away, Calderon-O! (Apologies to Antonio López de Santa Anna :)

But Begone, Felipe Calderone! was indeed the Message of a Million Mexicans Marching in the capital city yesterday ~

MEXICO CITY — Blaring horns and beating drums, an estimated 1 million protesters from all over Mexico converged on the capital Sunday to hear the runner-up in the presidential election call for “peaceful civil resistance” to force a vote-by-vote recount.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s exhortation significantly intensified his efforts to use public pressure to reverse his apparent half-percentage-point loss to Felipe Calderon, a free-trade booster.

The rally at Mexico City’s downtown square, the Zocalo, was the latest and largest flash point in a two-week electoral crisis expected to last two months while a special elections court hears Lopez Obrador’s fraud allegations and decides whether to conduct a recount.

Lopez Obrador stoked the crowd with allegations of voter fraud, saying Calderon would be an “illegitimate” president. He repeated his contention that the Federal Electoral Institute, an internationally respected independent organization, rigged computers to ensure Calderon’s victory. And he made a new claim, saying his supporters should protest because “errors” were committed in 60,000 of the country’s 130,000 polling places.

Read the rest.

Ah, me.

Oh, down in Mexico
I never really been so I don’t really know
Oh, Mexico
I guess I’ll have to go

(Apologies to sweetbaby James Taylor :)

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(We return you now to the Regularly-scheduled Iranian- Hezbollahn-Israeli War.)